Can I be Free too?
by cookieforeves56
Summary: The thought of a childhood friend could change history between their friendship? See how just moment can change everybody's life. (OC story!)
1. The Beginning

_**[ I'm sorry minna for redoing the story. I just thought of a better way to explain this story so I thought it would be better to rewrite the first chapter. Hope you like this new one! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!~ -Admin ]**_

Nakamura Keita.

A simple name for a child. However, this child was very special to a few of her friends that she hung around with. The Nakamura family had first met with the Tachibana Family, where she immediately met a boy named Tachibana Makoto. After Keita was able to go and visit Makoto for a while, he introduced Keita into a swimming club that wasn't far from their houses. Along the way, they met another group of kids, Keita being the typical shy one to hide behind the only person she knew amongst the building filled with strangers. "Hey, who are you hiding?"

"Ah, this is my friend Kei-chan. She's really shy."

"Hey, don't be so scared, I'm pretty cool! My name is Rin! And this is Haru!" Keita looked from behind Makoto, looking at the boy with reddish hair and matching eyes, and the other with black hair but really nice blue eyes. She noticed a hand reach out to her, looking up from the hand to notice it belonged to the boy named Haru. She looked at his hand again before her small hand slowly fell upon his, clutching it softly as he gently pulled her out. Keita looked up at him and gave him a small smile along with a soft giggle, making Haru stare at her a bit surprised. Rin grinned and took her other hand, leading her to the pool. "Come on! We're going to have a lot of fun!" He exclaimed, jumping into the pool. Keita stared at Rin, looking to her left as she caught Haru staring at her. He let out a small gasp as his cheeks turned a bit pink and turned away, jumping into the pool as well. Rin and Haru rose to the surface, another splash appearing from the side. Makoto showed up beside them, looking up at the girl who was standing near the edge of the pool. Keita looked down at the three, her smile appearing on her lips.

Within 2 years of time, Rin introduced his sister to Keita who was daily fonded by her personality. Gou would always ask where Keita was and would always want to go visit her house some day. One day, Keita and Gou were sitting next to each other as they sat in the stands of the swimming club. They watched as other kids Keita's age raced and were placed in different places until, the event of the team rely was starting. "Ah..! There's Onii-chan, Kei onee -san." Gou mentioned from the stands. Within those two years, Keita also got into the mood of doing swimming along with them so they can all swim together one day. She's started to get the hang of it, finding out that her new strength was free-style, just like Haru and Rin. She smiled from the stands, waving her hands as they caught sight of them. They all waved, Rin having his usual grin on his face. Keita smiled at the group, the light shade of pink, tinting her cheeks. As Gou watched with excitement as the childhood boys won first place, Keita watched without having to drop her smile at all. Even though she looked at Haru and Rin most of the time, and how she saw Haru being a bit stubborn, all she did was laugh. Within the end, they took their picture and hung it in the hall of fame.

"This is all your fault! How can you think of such a thing, during this time!?"

"You wouldn't understand me, Kimiko!"

"What do you mean!? I thought I did, up until now! What the hell is wrong with you!?" The screams kept going on forever for Keita. All she wanted to do was escape and run to Makoto's house, but she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, they would always find a way to keep her locked in the house, especially her room. It wan't by choice, however. Keita's parents have been screaming at each other, a week after the tournament that Haru and the others had won. 'I bet I'm making them worry..I haven't seen them for days..' Keita thought, her small body curled up on her bed as she sat there in the dark. She sometimes cried herself to sleep, her parents screams filling the air, and going non stop. She covered her ears as more tears ran down her already stained face, her body leaning until her side landed on her bed, her head landing on her pillow. She hid her face within her hair, and continued to cover her ears, her sobs mixing in with the screams of the adults that were just on the other side of her bedroom door. 'Just make it stop..all of it..'

One week later, the Keita that some people knew at her school, stared at her as if she was some stranger when they first met. Her expression was emotionless and her aura was very dull, what most teachers saw was negative. Later on the day, her parents had got into another argument, talking about the same old usual things. Keita wasn't the bright and smiling Keita anymore. A part of her heart has been crushed. She just wanted her old family back, where they would sit all together and eat dinner, talk about each other's day and smile and laugh. But that wasn't going to happen. It happened a few days later, Keita's parents had gotten into a car accident just on the other side of their neighborhood. That was the day where they were going to file the divorce papers. But, it was strange how it happened. The accident was involved with two emerging cars, both colliding and flipping onto the other side of the road. Both cars, containing one parent. Each holding their part of the divorce papers and their last family photo together. Splattered with their own blood. Keita's had a rough week, a really rough one where she had no more tears to cry. Keita was then transferred to her relatives house which was in America. The day she left for school, she was able to hear about her long time friends that she hasn't seen for almost a month. Rin and Haru's friendship had seemed to go away, along with Rin going to Austaila. Keita sighed as she looked up at the purple and orange colored sky, her hand slowly covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "I'll be back..I promise.." She mumbled as she looked both ways, passing but the Nanase House, and the Tachibana house. She held in her hands, her small suitcase and her plane ticket as she hurried on over to the airport.

Makoto knocked on Keita's door, waiting patiently as he waited for a response. After waiting for a bit and not getting one, Makoto knocked again, making sure he knocked a little bit louder. "Oh, What are you doing, young man?"

"Hm? I'm waiting for my friend. I haven't seen her for a month and I just want to make sure she's alright."

"Are you friends with the previous owner of this house?" Makoto looked at the old lady a bit confused. He tilted his head to the side, clearly showing that he wasn't understanding. "'Previous?' What.."

"The owners to that home has died into a car accident a week ago."

"E-Eh? Then..where is their kid..? Where did Kei-chan go?" He asked eagerly, looking at the old lady shocked. He moved away from the front door and approached the elder, looking up at her just a bit.

"The child? No one has seen the child after the accident. She's been reported missing for 2 weeks now.." Makoto was shocked. He quickly thanked the elder and ran back to his house, opening and closing the door quickly as he tried to take off his shoes as fast as he could. "Makoto? You're back?"

"Mom! Did you know about Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura?"

"What about them?" she looked at her son a bit confused until he walked up to her, panting a little bit from running. Makoto looked at his mother, his expression immediately changing into worry and sadness. "I-Is..Kei-chan, gone..?" His mother looked at him with wide eyes, her eyes quickly filling with tears. Makoto saw this, making his own eyes widen. She fell to her knees. hugging Makoto from the shrunken height. Makoto couldn't believe what was happening. Makoto stood there as his mother cried on his shoulder, hugging him tighter and tighter. Makoto looked at the ground, trying his best to hold back his tears. But they flowed faster than usual. 'First Rin..now Kei-chan..why does it have to happen to us..?' Makoto thought as he burst into tears along with his mother, his once rosy cheeks, staining themselves with tears of sadness and pain.

Haru looked out the window, watching as the rain poured and some hitting his glass window. Haru looked away from the window to look down at a school photo, containing everyone in it. He stared at a particular person, a person that was standing beside him as she smiled so naturally. He gently pressed his finger over her, tears falling and onto the picture as his other hand gripped the other side of the photo. He threw the photo to the other side of the room, leaving the sides with a few tears and the crumbled side alone as he tried to think nothing. He curled up in his room, his face hidden in between his knees. "Where are you..?" he called out to himself quietly, pondering about the small smiling burette and the crumpled reddish haired boy on the other side.


	2. 3 years time

_**[ 3 years time ]**_

The Tachibana's were heading to their new neighbor's house, holding a small dish of infamous japanese curry. "Mama, where are we going?"

"We're going to see our new neighbor today, they had just moved into this new area." The mother explained, looking down at her young daughter. The said girl smiled as she held her mothers hand close, walking beside her and along with her husband on her other side. Makoto was holding his younger brother's hand, smiling a bit to himself as he watched the young boy skip on the sidewalk. "Ne, Ne, Onii-chan, do you think this person is going to be really nice?"

"I'm pretty sure that they will be, Ren." Makoto answered as he held his hand to his side. The family had finally arrived at the house, hearing the soft clatter inside the building. "Wah! This house looks huge..!"

"It does because it has a small basement, Ran-Ran.." Her father complimented. Ran looked at her father amazed as she continued to hold her mother's hand. "I'm coming, just a second.." The person called out. Makoto continued to swing his brothers arm gently, his smile on his face as he waited along with his parents. The front door slowly clicked and the door started to pull open. The family was slightly surprised to see a young girl open the door, dressed in casual clothes as she stood in front of them. "May I help you?"

"We just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood, sweetheart. This is a welcoming gift from the family."

"Ah, it wasn't necessary.."

"No, I insist! Its great to have someone new around. Its a great pleasure on meeting you.." Makoto stared at the girl his eye sight never leaving her. His grip on Ren's hand faded away, making the little boy look up at his older brother confused. "Onii-chan?"

"Thank you so much for the meal..Mrs.."

"Ah, excuse my manners..We're the Tachibana Famliy..and you are..?" She was already holding her hand as she stared at the woman as if she was some kind of ghost. She stuttered for a little bit before her mouth opened to speak again. "I-I'm-"

"Kei-chan..?" Makoto interrupted, the said girl's eyes shifting to the tall light brown haired male. His mother's eyes widening a bit as well as he looked in between her and Makoto. The girl continued to stare, Makoto looking right back. "..Makoto..?" she replied, her head slightly tilting to the side. Makoto made his way through his family and embraced Keita into his arms. Keita was caught by surprise when she was suddenly hugged by her childhood friend that she hasn't seen for 3 years.

"Nakamura-san? Is this really you?"

Makoto's mother called as she made her way through also, holding her hands close. "Oh thank goodness..we thought something terrible happened to you.."

"N-..No…were..you all worried..?"

"Yes, of course..! You were like family to us..! Of course we were worried about you..! Especially Makoto, over here..!"

"Mo-Mom..!"

"Now, Now, don't be so shy."

"Mr-Mrs. Tachibana..I-I don't know what to say.." She said, looking at her with soft eyes. She did what the Tachibana family hasn't seen for the last 3 years. Keita smiled as she moved to hug Mrs. Tachibana. She was in the verge to tears as she hugged her back tightly, quietly sobbing as she hugged her as if she'll be gone forever. After a while, she let her go, looking at her as she wiped the tears away from her eyes. "I-I'll..come back for Makoto later..you two should catch up..I'll see you later.." She said with a relieved sigh as she led her family away from the house. Makoto and Keita waved as his family was out of sight, Makoto looking down at Keita with his sincere smile. "Shall we head inside?" She smiled back, leading him inside the house. Keita placed the dish on her kitchen counter, turning on the lights as Makoto took a seat in one of the stools. "Are you just sorting your things out..?"

"Yeah, But, I got that handled, don't worry about it." She replied, her back to him as she was placing the cooked dish into a clean plate. She felt an odd presence behind her, making her look back a little bit. "Mak-" She was interrupted when she was brought to his broad chest, making her cheeks fluster just the slightest. "You have no idea how long I waited for you.." He whispered, easily wrapping his arms around her frame. Her eyes widened a bit from surprised but relaxed as she hugged him back, her face buried within his chest. "I'm sorry..Makoto.."

The next morning, Makoto picked her up so that they can walk to school together. Makoto recently found out that they went to the same school and decided to take her and show her the way. "Hold on, we have to make a quick stop first."

"Quick stop? Where?" She asked, adjusting her school bag to sling over her right shoulder. They stopped at a stairway, Makoto offering a seat as a small white kitten showed up within the bushes. The kitten seemed to see Keita, carefully crawling toward her. She gently stroked behind its ear, making it purr underneath her hand. She giggled as it started to curl up against her hand, making cute noises as Makoto watched with glee. Makoto looked at the top of the stairs, noticing the familiar black haired male. "Ah, Morning Haru." He greeted. Keita caught this and slowly looked up from the kitten, her eyes locking with his. She stood up from her spot, giving Haru a gentle smile as she gave him a gentle wave. "Morning Haru." He quickly made his way down the steps, stopping beside his best friend and the female. He was still staring at her, Keita slightly confused to why he was staring at her like that. He looked down at her hands, hesitating as he slowly took it in his. He was staring at their hands now, his fingers overlapping hers. "Haru..?" She voiced out, still confused. He looked up, looking at the direction where they are planning on heading and started to walk, still holding her hand. Keita yelped slightly, trying to catch up with his fast pace. She looked down at their connected hands as they continued to walk to school together, Makoto, who finally caught up with the two of them and walking beside the two. Keita looked at both sides, Makoto on her right, Haruka on her left. She smiled, missing this feeling of a warmth as she entangled both of her fingers in between both hands, holding each boy with one hand within the other.

Even for Keita, it was a really long day for her. After she reasoned Makoto and Haruka that it was alright to walk by herself, she was able to go grocery shopping for her house. Carrying a small bag with some snacks and some ingredients, she made her way home, the sky making a collaboration of colors as the sun began to set. As she began walking home, she was glad that there were people walking around, knowing that it wasn't the time for rapists to come out. Or so she thought. As she was almost home, she suddenly felt a presence behind her, forcing herself not to look back and make it obvious that she had noticed. As slyly as she could, she started to walk faster, the man catching it and picking up his pace as well. She made a few twists and turns, until she made the wrong turn and ran into a dead end. She looked back at her rapist, his smirk glimmering as she slightly stood there in fear. As she continued to back away from him, he fished out his pocket knife from his pocket, flipping it to show the sharpest side of the weapon. But, before it can even touch her, a hand took a grasp of the man's shoulder and sent him back and onto the ground. A figure stood in front of her, Keita caught by surprise. "Leave the girl alone or else you have to deal with me. Now, scram!" he shouted, the man's eyes caught with fear. He hurried onto his feet and scurried away, not looking back. Keita stood up straight, using the wall behind her to help her support. The light was a little dim as she looked up at her savior, but was able to cast a glimpse on his face. She heard him gasp, Keita doing the same as his face was clear in her vision. He moved a bit closer to her face, her eyes locking with his. She was pressed against the wall again, his body moving closer and closer. "Keita..?" his voice questioned. She processed his voice, thinking for a little bit before she looked at him again. Her mouth opened to speak, her voice just like silk in his ears. "Rin..?"

"You came back..when..?"

"Ye-Yesterday..Listen, Rin.."

"No, just..don't say anything.."

"Bu-But.."

"Just stay silent for me.." he muttered, ending the conversation. Keita's eyes were wide as her body was pressed even more, her cheeks flustering the same shade of pink, but only darker. She hadn't seen it coming. Not at all. She was going to thank him, but he didn't let her. Instead, he kissed her.


	3. What's up Haru?

_**[ Hey readers of mine! I hope you guys are loving the story so far and following it and all! I love to read reviews from you guys especially! It makes my heart beat ; u ; Thanks again for reading and favoring this story! Love you all! - Admin ]**_

Keita's mind was in the slight blur as she was leaning against her front door, her breathing turning into small pants. She slowly slid down to the floor, her hands covering her eyes. She controlled her breathing, her palms still covering her eyes and remembering what previously happened. It happened so fast and quick that it totally caught her off guard. She shuddered slightly, her palms slowly letting her eyes peek as a blush formed on her cheeks. "Da-Damn.."

_**[ Flash Back ]**_

Rin didn't let her speak since he suddenly kissed her on that spot. Keita's eyes were wide, her body frozen from the sudden contact. She finally moved, her hands pressing against his chest as she tried to push him away. After Rin soon got the message, he only kissed deeper, holding her arms steady as he pushed her a bit more against the brick wall. With all of Keita's might, she pushed him away just the slightest bit to cover her mouth with the back of her hand. She stared at him with shocked and surprised eyes with the slight anger. "Wh-..What are you doing..?!"

"What? Is it wrong for a guy like me to hint to the girl he likes for the longest time, kiss her?"

"Wh-..What did you say..?"

"Keita, don't play dumb with me. You remember what I said before I left for Australia. I made sure that I told you and only you..I promised you." Keita stood there, her gaze looking down at her feet. He stared at her for a long time until she decided to answer him. "I-I know..what you said..I remember but..why did you suddenly hate Haru..?"

"I have my reasons..but..once I beat Haru..I want to prove that I can be your man.." He said in a confident voice. She kept her gaze down, not wanting to look at him. He continued to stare, soon shuffling closer and grasping her chin and moving to face him again. He stared into her eyes and noticed the slight sadness in them. He sighed and moved to stroke her cheek, noticing the tint of pink coloring them. "Every since the first day..I've instantly fell in love with you..and up until this day, I still love you.."

"Ri-Rin.."

"I know these words might not reach to you now but, I just want you to know that I'm fighting for you..fighting since the beginning." He muttered moving his hand away as he took a couple steps back to give her space. "I'll see you later, Keita.." he concluded as he turned away and walked a different direction.

_**[ End of Flashback ]**_

After that night, Keita didn't get much sleep. She rubbed her eyes tiredly as she made her way to school with another yawn that same hour. She sighed as she turned a corner of the hallway, accidentally bumping into someone. "Ah, Gomen..that's my fault."

"No worries! I accept your apology! Ah-! Wait a minute! Kei-chan! Kei-chan, its me! Nagisa!" The blonde boy piped in front of her. She blinked a few times before she saw the boy in front of her, blinking surprised. "Na-Nagisa!? You go to this school?"

"Yeah! I'm on the third floor, just above the second years! I was coming to pick up a friend of mine! Say..I was wondering..are you and Makoto dating?~"

"Wh-What!? N-No! Its not like that, Nagisa!"

"Whatever you say!~ I will find out eventually! Well, gotta go! See ya!~" he said as he jogged right passed her, climbing up another set of stairs. Keita sighed as she went to her class, rubbing her eyes once more. "How can Nagisa be so energetic in the morning..? Gosh..I don't get him sometimes.."

_**[ Later ]**_

Keita was gathering her things from her final class and noticed that she was the last one inside. She shrugged her shoulders as she continued to gather her things, taking her time. "Kei-chan." She looked when someone called her name, smiling to see that Makoto was waiting at the door. "Why were you waiting for me?"

"I wanted to show you our swimming club today. I hope you're available."

"Yes, of course. I always wanted to see."

"We-Well, not really see..today we're actually going to Kou-chan's Onii-chan's school. You remember Rin?" He asked, walking beside her, looking down to his right to look a her. She flinched at hearing the name and looked away, a sweat dropping form her forehead. "Ye-Yeah, I remember him.."

"Hm? Is something wrong..?"

"No, It's nothing.." she replied with a sigh. Makoto caught this and gave her a soft smile toward her direction and gently took her hand into his. _'Its smaller than mine..'_ he thought to himself as Keita followed in suit, tangling her fingers in between his. "You must be tired.."

"Yeah..its been a long day..Sorry about that.."

"No, its totally fine..I'm just glad that up until this day, I can notice what's wrong.."

"Yeah.." she said with a smile, her hand softly squeezing his enlarge one and his hand responding back with a squeeze too. "Ah! You guys ARE dating!" the two turned around and caught Nagisa with his finger pointing to the connected hands and another male with blue hair and red glasses blushing at the sight. Makoto and Keita quickly let go of each other's hands, blushing crazily as Keita looked away and Makoto protesting about a misunderstanding. "I-It isn't like that!"

"Alright, alright! Come on! We have to meet Gou so we can leave!" he said in a teasing voice, jogging past them. Rei followed, his face hidden and not wanting to be seen by the female. Keita blinked and tugged on Makoto's sleeve, looking up at him. "Hm? What's wrong?"

"Who's that?" she asked, not noticing that the blue haired swimmer flinched and stop worrying about Nagisa now. "Ah, his name is Rei. He's our fourth member of the swim team. He's also a first year like Nagisa."

"Eh? He's a first year? He's pretty lean for a first year..some people might mistaken him as a second year instead." With that comment, Rei's face steamed, making him collapse with a red face. "E-Eh!? Rei!? What's wrong!?" Makoto exclaimed as both him and Keita hurried to his side. They noticed the swirls in his eyes, his face still giving off steam and beet red. "Umm..did I say something wrong..?"

"Ah! Rei-chan! Hurry up and stand up! Stop making excuses to not swim!" Nagisa exclaimed as he took him from Makoto's grip, giving him a piggy back ride to the pool. Makoto and Keita stared at the first years, looking back at each other only to laugh at their reaction. Makoto stood and grabbed Keita's hand again, pulling up to her feet. "Shall we catch up to them?"

"What are we waiting for?" she giggled, making the brunette smile even more. He tugged her forward, jogging up to them.

_**[ Samezuka Academy ] **_

All of the members of the Iwatobi swim club was there, including Kou and Keita were gathered in the indoor swimming pool as the captain also gathered his swimmers. "Alright, its a joint practice and we're going to start off with a few laps." he said as he clapped his hands and was about to blow his whistle, until he noticed Rei in a track suit. "Hey, you. Where's your swimsuit?"

"Ah no I'm-"

"Ah! H-He fo-forgot his swimsuit!"

"Ughh..then you can borrow one of ours..Nitori! Go take him and give him a spare swimsuit."

"Alright! You, come with me!"

"Wha-! Wa-Wait! AHHHH!"

_**[ sometime later ]**_

"This isn't beautiful…" He complained, crossing his arms as he came out in a speedo. Keita and Gou giggled, earning a glare from the blue haired male. Keita smirked at his direction, his face immediately turning beet red and looking away, due to embarrassment. Gou looked at Keita confused until she smirked toward her direction, Gou catching the idea and laughing more. They watched as Makoto went first, diving into the pool once the whistle was blown. Keita and Gou watched from the side, beside the other swimmers. Gou looked around and pouted as she didn't find her brother, looking as she watched Nagisa dived into the pool. Makoto came back, a towel in hand as he looked at Gou with a confused look. "Kou-chan, where's Kei-chan?"

"Eh?" Gou was confused and just happened to notice that Keita was missing. She looked around and gave Makoto an apologetic look. "Sorry Makoto-sempai..I don't know."

"Well..she's going to miss Haru swim..hm..I wonder where she's at.."

Keita was originally standing beside Gou, a small smile on her face as she watched Makoto swim. It was then she felt herself falling back and being tugged, somewhere else. She yelped but a hand quickly covered her mouth to block any other sound. It was a blur but then she found herself in a hallway, a boy's chest in front of her. She looked up at the person, surprisingly expecting it to be him. "Rin, what are you doing..?"

"What am I doing? What are you doing here?"

"Well..Gou said that there was a joint practice here at this school, and I was invited by Makoto and them.." She explained, still looking at him. Rin combed his hand through his hair as he looked at the direction to the door that led to the pool. He looked back toward Keita, noticing that they were staring at each other for a bit. "What..is it you want to tell me..?" She asked, her gaze slowly looking away from him. Rin stared at her before softening his eyes and moving his hands to gently stroke her cheek. Keita looked up at him again, Rin watching as her cheeks turned pink. He chuckled, making her cheeks grow darker. "I just missed you.."

"Rin..this..about us.."

"I know..but..the more you say you don't want to..the more it makes me want to make you mine.." He said in a husky voice, making her blush grow darker. He placed both hands on her cheeks, tilting her head up just at an angle, her eyes starting to close half way. "I…need to get back…they might be worried.."

"Make them wait…they won't mind.." he whispered and slowly leaned forward, his lips brushing against hers. Keita's eyes were starting to close, waiting for the contact to come back to her, until-

"Keita..?"

Keita silently gasped to herself as her eyes snapped open, her head turning to the sound of the voice calling her name. Her eyes widened slightly as she noticed Haru standing there, his body damp as he held the towel that dried his black locks. Rin saw her head turn, making him turn his head as well. He stared at the other swimmer, a smirk slowly appearing on his lips.

"What's up Haru?"


	4. Eh?

Haru stood out in the hallway, staring as Rin was in front of Keita, Keita's expression slightly surprised. Rin moved to hold her closer, the smirk on his face growing even wider. "What's up, Haru?" he asked, looking at his facial expression. Haru dropped his towel on the bench and his expression started to tense, Keita starting to feel the angry aura in the hallway. Rin slightly glared back, holding Keita tightly. Keita slightly winced at the sudden movement, her chest being pressed against Rin's side. "Haru! Haru, where are you?" They heard Makoto call. Makoto caught him and noticed the situation he just walked into, his eyes widening at the sight of Rin _and _Keita. "Rin..What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I was going to take Keita here, out with me. Now, if you'll excuse us..we'll be heading our way."

"A-Ah..Rin wa-" Keita was interrupted when Rin turned, making their back facing the other two swimmers. There was a sudden pull that caught their attention, Keita easily slipping out of Rin's and into Haru's. Keita blushed as her cheek was slightly pressed against Haru's bare chest, Haru hugging her in a protective way. Rin looked back and glared, taking a stance in front of the raven haired boy. "What the hell are you doing!?"

"You can't just take her without asking her.."

"Even without asking, she'll listen to me." he smirked and looked down at her. "Come on, Keita. Let's go." Keita took a while to answer and looked back at him, making Rin frown a little. Keita slightly hid her face into Haru's chest, not wanting to leave his side. Rin clicked his tongue annoyed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Fine! Have it your way! But, I'll be seeing you sometime soon, Keita.." and with that, he stormed away, his figure slowly fading away. Haru stared until he was positive that he was gone for sure. He looked down, noticing that she was still hiding and hugging him back tightly. Haru's lips parted just a bit to let out a soft sigh, resting his chin on top of her head. Makoto walked up to them, gently patting her back. "Kei-chan, what did he do..?"

"He was going to kiss her." Haru answered for her. Makoto looked up at his childhood friend shocked. Keita nodded slightly, slowly pulling away from Haru's warmth. Haru looked at her again, moving to look up at Makoto. She was going to reply but somebody's foot steps were being heard. "Kei-chan! Mako-chan! Haru-chan! There you guys are! We thought we lost you!" Nagisa called, running down the hall. Makoto chuckled as he walked over to Nagisa and Rei, who was currently catching up to the blonde. "Well, its getting late. Maybe we should head back now." Makoto exclaimed as he started walking back with the two first years. Haru and Keita trailed right behind them, Keita looking down as her hands were at her sides. "Keita.." the said girl looked up from the ground and looked toward Haru's direction, noticing that he was staring at her, deep into her eyes. Keita saw this and stopped walking, Haru doing the same. Haru looked down and shifted to hold her hands, making her cheeks fluster just a tad. "Wh-What is it, Haru?"

"I saw..how you were looking at Rin..with those kind of eyes.."

"What are you talking about..?" Haru lifted her head at an angle, tilting it upward with her chin. Haru looked down at her, his eyes softening for her. Keita's eyes widened, catching the softness and change in his facial expression. "Keita..why won't you look at me like that..?" he whispered, leaning forward and gently placing his lips on top of her soft looking ones. Keita's cheeks were at that same tint of dark pink as she stood there, Haru's lips pressing against her own, ever so gently. He soon pulled away, leaning his forehead on top of hers, her gaze never breaking with his. He gave a really small smile, pulling away but not letting her hand go. "Come on, they must be waiting."

"Ri-Right.." She stammered as she followed right behind him. They walked together, not really noticing that someone trailed behind to watch the two walk hand in hand.

Keita finally got home, waving back at everyone that continued to walk their way home. She was leaning against her bedroom door, her gaze focused on her feet as she continued to ponder.

_"The more you say you don't want to..the more it makes me want to make you mine.."_

_"Why won't you look at me like that..?"_

She buried her face into her hands as she slid down to the floor, her face still buried in. "Ugh..I don't know what to do.." she complained to herself. Suddenly the doorbell rang, catching her attention and making her look up from her current position. She walked down to the front door, fixing herself before opening it. "Ah, Makoto..what is it..?"

"I came to visit, because I was worried about you.."

"What are you talking about..? I'm totally fine.." He gave her a smile before she sighed, defeated, and let him inside her house. He walked in, taking off his shoes as she led him into the living room. She walked into the kitchen, boiling some water to make some hot chocolate. "So..what has been in your mind lately?" He started, taking a seat on a stool, the same seat he took when he realized she was in town. Keita looked back at him before leaning her back against the counter. "I..just don't know..a lot of things has been going on lately and..its really hard to explain.."

"its okay, honestly, I came because I thought you were struggling with something and-"

"I-I am..!" she suddenly blurted out, blushing a bit embarrassed as she looked down shyly. "So-Sorry.." he chuckled and rested his chin against the palm of his hand, looking at her with a gentle smile of his. "Its alright Kei-chan. You can tell me anything." he encourages. She looks up at him and was about to speak but hears the pot whistling and turned around to arrange the drinks. "Well…I haven't told you this but Rin had confessed to me before he left for Australia.." it was silent so she decided to continue. "..when he saved me from being attacked last week, it was a coincidence that we met. He said that he's been fighting..something about me and it started in the beginning..then Haru..I guess it was a small confession he did yesterday..since he..kissed me too.." She explained, grabbing two mugs and placing them onto the counter. She started to pour carefully, in each mug, still talking to the olive haired boy behind her. "I just..don't know what to do Makoto..I'm so confused.." she finished, setting the mugs aside the let her think for a little bit. It continued to stay silent, noticing that it was a little too silent. She looked back, noticing that Makoto was standing up to his feet and walking toward her direction. She turned around, her back against the counter as he just kept coming closer and closer. Unexpectedly, Makoto hugged her close to him, Keita squeaking slightly. "Its okay Kei-chan..I'm pretty sure everything will turn out okay.." he said in a comforting tone. Keita slowly closed her eyes, relaxing under his touch. "What Rin said was true, however.."

"Eh..?"

"I'll help you Kei-chan.." he pulled back just a bit and looked down at her, catching the soft blush on her cheeks. "Y-You will..? But..how..?"

"Keita…" he leaned foreword and whispered in her ear, making a shiver run down her spine. Her eyes were wide, her blush starting to darken. '_H-He's..never called me by my first name before..'_ she recalled, her gaze slowly looking up at his face. He was still leaned over, hovering over her ear.

"I'll help you Keita…I'll help you _forget Rin and Haru…_"

_"..e-eh..?"_


	5. The night to remember he said

_**[ Previously on Can I be free too? ]**_

"_I'll help you Kei-chan.." he pulled back just a bit and looked down at her, catching the soft blush on her cheeks. "Y-You will..? But..how..?"_

_"Keita…" he leaned foreword and whispered in her ear, making a shiver run down her spine. Her eyes were wide, her blush starting to darken. 'H-He's..never called me by my first name before..' she recalled, her gaze slowly looking up at his face. He was still leaned over, hovering over her ear._

_"I'll help you Keita…I'll help you forget Rin and Haru…"_

_"..e-eh..?"_

Keita didn't know how it happened but it was all a blur. She was trapped within Makoto's body, still in a leaned over position as he continued to whisper soft things into it. Keita blushed, her hands gently pressed against his chest as he decided to hold her closer. "Your ears were always your weak spot, weren't they..?" he whispered, starting to give it gentle kisses. She flinched slightly, clutching the front of his shirt and trying to bare with her weakness. He started to move further, his kisses running along her jawline and down her neck. Keita blushed even more, her breathing coming into soft pants. "Ma-.."

"Don't try to stop me, Keita.."

"But wh-..why..?" She questioned, feeling the kisses coming to a stop. He kept his face hidden, her eyes slightly looking through the corner as she caught the slight glimpse of the olive colored hair. "Why..? When I first started talking to you, and getting to know you for the past few years..my feelings started to grow on you." He started to tell, slowly adjusting himself as he turned, Keita now trapping him and Makoto leaning against the counter. Keita looked up at him now, noticing the slight sadness in his eyes. Her own eyes widened, the feeling of guilt starting to prang against her own. "I didn't want to admit it, but I never spoke of my true feelings because I never wanted to ruin my friendship with you..the closeness we had..I treasured it the most." his expression changed 180 degrees and he looked at her, his eyes still filled with sadness and slight relief. "I'm sorry for the way I acted..I took advantage of you without even asking and..its totally not like me.."

"It's okay Makoto.." She replied, her hands gently resting against his chest and looking down at them to avoid his shocked gaze. "But Ke-Keita.."

"I like it..when you call me by my actual name..than my nick name.." She replied, a blush starting to form on her cheeks. "I'm so-sorry..for not realizing your feelings sooner..but..after all you've done for me..please..show me how much..you love me.." Makoto was in total shock. His face was bright red as he looked down at his childhood friend, and his first love. "Bu-But..Ke-Keita..you said it yourself..you're totally confused a-and..I just made it worse by confessing it too you.." he stammered, looking down at her as she looked straight at him. She shook her head softly as she continued to look at him with softer eyes now. "I owe you Makoto…and, I trust you..a lot..and I'm pretty sure you'd do anything for me to be safe. And..I think I'm in the right hands right now.." she concluded, slightly going on her toes to gently brush her lips against his. Makoto was staring at her, her eyes coming to a close as she patiently waited. He gritted his teeth slightly and moved forward, filling in the gap and pressing his lips against hers. It was soft and gentle, Keita immediately melting into the kiss. He pulled back and hugged her tightly, placing a hand behind her head as she buried her face within his shoulder. "You have..no idea what you are doing to me right now.."

"Eh..?" but before Keita can process anything, she was turned back, her body towered by the olive haired swimmer as she was slightly lifted from the ground. She squeaked, looking down at the boy below her with a blush. Makoto looked up at her with a smile before that smile turned into a very seductive smirk. He started walking up the stairs, carrying the girl in his arms. "You watch Keita..I will make this night a night to remember.." he whispered to her, making her blush even deeper. He opened the door to her bedroom door and locked it behind him. He placed her on the mattress, crawling on top of her as she looked up at the man, blushing heavily. "All I ever want to hear tonight, is my name..Keita.." he muttered before he swopped in, retrieving what he has longed for the past couple of years.


	6. Memories

_**[ Warning! I got a request that this part of the chapter should be a lemon! Just a heads up if you dislike descriptive imagery! Please do skip down to the fancy line thing-y okay? For the Lemon Heads, here you are! I apologize if it isn't as good as you would expect it, its been too long since I've written one! Anyways; enjoy! Thank you for the reviews and keep doing it! Love you all! -Admin ]**_

Makoto seemed to attack Keita's once flawless neck, her eyes closed as she let him run his hand run up and down her body. Keita arched her back as she felt Makoto's hand slyly slip inside her shirt, taking the advantage and groping her breast. She tilted her head to the side, Keita gently chewing on her bottom lip as he continued to lick and trail love bites along her neck. Makoto murmured sweet words into her ear, his thumb running along her sweet little pink nub, making her moan even more. Keita was blushing madly, her eyes clouded with lust as she held a soft grasp on Makoto's shirt. She didn't even know Makoto knew these kind of things, thinking that Makoto was a virgin. Or was he? No, Keita knew all too well that he would never give up his prize possession to some random woman. Before Keita even knew it, her shirt was simply slipped away from her body, leaving herself in her school skirt and a maroon colored bra. One side of the bra was lifted, showing the nub that Makoto was playing with earlier from underneath. His lips then trailed even further, his lips making contact with it. Keita yelped a cry of pleasure, making Makoto kiss it more. It came to the point after kissing it, he started to lick it, then started to suck it ever so gently; making Keita whine for more. Makoto sat up just a bit, just enough so that her can remove his white polo away and reveal his muscular and toned chest. Keita blushed at the sight, Makoto doing the same when she started to stare. He slowly dove in, capturing her lips just for a minute before his kisses trailed down her body once again. Keita moaned his name ever so quietly, but loud enough that Makoto was the only one to ever hear her make these kind of noises. His hands held up her legs a little by her thighs, his hands rubbing the inside of it and the outside. She started to chew on her bottom lip again, feeling his lips just hover against her designated and special place. "Trust me Keita..this will be a blissful night for you.." he whispered huskily before slipping the clothing away, revealing a matching set of panties covering it with a thin layer of cotton. Keita didn't know what happened after that, only realized that Makoto was whispering soothing words as pain struck through her abdominal area and lower regions. She also remembered when she clutched onto Makoto for so long, she felt like she left small scratches along his back, marking what happened tonight. What ever it was to Keita, her precious gift was now handed over. Handed over to her most trust worthy friend.

Makoto watched as Keita laid beside him, her head resting on his chest as her bare skin still came in contact with his. Makoto was blushing as hard as he could, realizing that he _just_ had sex with his first love. He looked at her again, catching the glimpse of her angelic face beneath him. He smiled as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, closing his eyes as well as he hugged her protectively. Within a few minutes, Keita's eyes slowly opened as she looked up at the olive haired boy holding her in a protective way. She smiled a little, giving the boy a small kiss on his nose, blaming herself for making herself so tiny. She continued to rest her head on his chest, her eyes becoming a daze as she made small remarks on what had happened earlier in the night. Her cheeks formed a soft blush as she huddled a little more in the blanket covers, covering her body a little more. She had told Makoto from during their little make out secession that this was her first time _being touched. _Although the part that she had given up her virginity up to Makoto was true, being touched _wasn't_ her first time experiencing it. Her eye lids started to feel heavy as they came to a close, her dreams filled with memories of the very first time…with _Rin Matsuoka_.

_**[ Flashback ]**_

Keita had come to visit her parent's grave, traveling all the way from the states to meet her parents. She had done this once she was eligible to fly on her own and without a supervisor to watch her on the plane. It was the month of December, where the cold snow fell from the sky and showered the town of Tokyo, ever so slowly. Her breath was visible in the air as she exhaled softly to herself, walking down the path to the cemetery. As she was walking and stopping in front of a grave, she noticed a tint of red hair on top of a small hill where another grave was set. She looked up at the hill for a moment before bending onto her knees and praying to her parents. After a moment of silence, she slowly opened her eyes, letting her covered up fingers touch the engravings of her parent's name. "Keita?" she responded to the call of her name, turning her head to see that red head once more. She blinked a few times before she stood on her feet, looking at the male a bit shocked. "Rin? Is that you?"

"Wow..its been a while, hasn't it?"

"What happened? I thought you were studying abroad in Australia.."

"I am, but I just came to visit on the family. And since its winter, we have a break from swimming for a while." he started to explain, his hands shoved into his coat pocket. Keita nodded, soon walking along the pathway with Rin, out and away from the cemetery. After walking around the city together and having dinner with each other, the sky started to get dark. "Oh my, its getting late. I should get back to my hotel..I have to head back to the States tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, I'll walk you back to your hotel room." he insisted, Keita allowing just fine. Keita led the way to her hotel that she was staying at, Rin following right at her tail. As soon as they entered the warm enclosed building, they took the elevator to Keita's room. Once they reached it, Rin stopped walking once they reached the front door. "Well, thank you for walking me back, Rin." she smiled, not noticing Rin's auburn colored eyes stare at her caramel ones. Keita was confused for a minute before her eyes widened, noticing that Rin's face was getting closer and closer to hers. Her cheeks burned, staining her original skin color to a reddish more tone, making it more embarrassing for her. Rin then reached, kissing her cheek ever so lightly as he pulled away with a smirk on his face. He pointed his finger upwards, Keita's eyes looking up as well. "Mistletoe. Can't get enough of those, can you?" he joked, Keita's cheeks still red as ever. Rin stared at her flushed form, starting to approach again. Keita caught this and did nothing, not scoot back, not have a surpassed expression but stood there, Rin's eyes clouded a little, his lips gazing over hers. He then made his move, gently pressing his lips against hers as she started to slowly kiss him back. Rin caught on and pressed a little more, with more force, pushing Keita back and inside her room. Rin then closed the door shut right after. Keita was against the hotel wall now, her legs lifted with the help of Rin as he bit down her neck, leaving love bites all over the place. The cheers outside were heard, indicating a new year has begun. "Ri-..Rin.."

"Happy New Years Keita…" he greeted as he placed a gentle kiss on her own, carrying her as they both laid on the king sized bed together that night.

_**[ End of Flashback ]**_

Keita was awoken by the sunlight that had shown through the curtains in her bedroom, Keita nuzzling her face back into Makoto's broad chest to cover the sunlight. She hadn't noticed the dry tears that had stained her face over night, recalling to that specific New Years event that made it special and placed somewhere deep down in her heart. Somewhere she knew that she can always look back to it, and wonder why.


End file.
